AL-Bukhari has written on this subject in his chapter on Cupping, The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, commanded cupping to be used, and said, "There are no remedies comparable to cupping and blood letting." This hadith was preserved by al-Bukhari.
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It is said that there was once a man who complained to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about a pain in the head. All that he said in.reply was, "Get cupped." Nor will there be pain in the feet if they are stained with henna. This is a hadith related by Abu Daw'ud. And many are the ahadith on the benefits of cupping.
Among the accounts concerning letting blood from the veins, there are many which cannot be denied. The Prophet, may Allah biess him and grant him peace, told Abu ibn Ka'b, the physician, to puncture his skin and bleed him from a vein. Among the ahadith are these two: The best medicine is cupping." And: "Cupping purifies the outside of the body, and bleeding from a vein purifies its inside."
Cupping is used in hot countries and blood letting in cold ones. It is essential to refrain from cupping when taking a hot bath, except when the blood is very thick - in which case it is good to have a bath and then be cupped one hour later. A full stomach is
also to be avoided. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Cupping on an empty stomach is a medicine, and on a full stomach it is a disease."
Ibn Maja says that he heard Ibn Umar say, "Benefit is to be found in looking after the blood, so call for a friendly bleeder for me and let him be neither too old nor too young – for I myself heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "Cupping on an empty stomach is best, for in it there is healing," – but in not doing it at all, there is even more safety and wisdom.
Cupping beneath the chin relieves pain in the teeth and face. Cupping on the legs is good for boils on the thighs and for gout
and piles and irritation in the back. The benefits of cupping even more than I have stated, even twice as much-but applying a
cup over a boney nodule ruins the memory.
It is the clear opinion of Ahmad that charging a fee for cupping is disliked. Ibn Abbas said, "I cupped the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he paid me a fee." Now, if the Prophet
knew that this was bad, he would not have given it. This hadith is taken from al-Bukhari.
As regards the places for cupping, al-Bukhari states that Ibn Abbas said, "I cupped the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, for a pain in the head." In another hadith he says that it
was for a migraine, but Anas says, "The Prophet was cupped 'fi lakhazayn wa'l-kahal'." At-Tirmidhi has also transmitted this hadith. Now, the word 'al-akhazayn' means'the sides of the neck' and 'al- kahal' means 'above the top of the neck'. Abu Huraira says that Abu Hind cupped the Prophet on the top of the head. Abu Daw'ud also says this. Anas says he was cupped on the top of the foot, and
so also say at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa'i.
As regards the days on which cupping is preferable, Abu Huraira said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whoever is cupped on the 17th, 19th, or 21st, day of the month will be cured of every disease." This has been related by Abu Daw'ud. As for his saying, 'cured of every disease, the reason for this is the paramount importance of blood. At-Tirmidhihas transmitted almost exactly the same hadith on the authority of Anas.
Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, used to forbid his family from being cupped on a Tuesday, and gave the Prophe, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as his authority. ie added, "On that day the blood does not clot easily."
However I maintain that this prohibition is all very well for cup-
ping in times of health, but if a man is ill or in great need, then one
should not bother about whether the date is the 17th or the 20th.
A-Jallal said, "Ismad ibn 'Asim told me that Hanbal had told
them that Ahmad ibn Hanbal used to apply cups whenever the
blood was turgid and at any time. " This is what he said. And al-
Bukhari said that Abu Musa was cupped at night.
Cupping originated in Isfahan.
Physicians say that cupping should be done when the moon is
waning, and blood letting when the moon is waxing.
Know that if blood letting is done in the wrong place, or when
it is not needed, then it weakens the faculties, and it removes both
healthy humours as well as harmful ones. Blood letting and cup-
ping should be avoided by whoever is suffering from enteritis, by
whoever is convalescing, by whoever is very old, by whoever has
a weak liver or stomach, by whoever suffers from palsy of the face
or feet, and by women who are pregnant, or who have just given
birth, or who are menstruating.
The best times for blood letting and cupping are on a Monday
at any time, or on a Tuesday during the daytime, according to the
season. Spring is the best season for blood letting, for purging by
vomiting, for calming down morbid fears, and for much sexual
activity. Summer is the time for cold foods which destroy bile, for
restricting sexual intercourse, for avoiding loss of blood, and for
increasing hot baths. A man should meet winter by wearing extra
clothes and having strong, thick foods, such as tharid broth. The
ahadith are plentiful in praise of these things. All of this has been
related by al-Bukhari.
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
Truly 'Ayesha excels other women just as tharid broth excels other
foods." See that it contains a lot of meat.
Truly a man should desire a copious flow and emission of blood
and phlegm, and in winter he should increase his exercise and his
sexual activity.